Vaudevillians

Adjectives from School House VaST

2011-08-05T10:45:00.001-07:00

Three is a Magic Number: School House Vast

2011-08-05T10:40:00.001-07:00

RUBBLE short documentary video

2011-08-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to John Schroeder of Abacus Film for making this short documentary about the RUBBLE project that our advanced troupe members participated in last session. Check it out!

New Dance Movie from the Wee Pal Players

2011-08-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Check out our youngest troupe members' new dance number.

WeePals Rock the Freight and Salvage

2011-05-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

The WeePals stole the show as they performed with Kid Kaleidoscope at a Freight and Salvage Patchwork Series show. Here is one of their very fine performances:

The WeePal Players on stage with Octopretzel at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley

2011-02-20T16:35:00.000-08:00

Modified

2011-02-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

A new collaboration! VaST kids did toy modification at last summer's week-long VaST camp. John Schroeder created this music video to an original song by Sarita and her two daughters. It features toys and kids from VaST camp. Enjoy!!!!

New Short Film by the Wee Pal Players

2010-12-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

This short film was conceived and created by our youngest troupe members. It is based on a fantasy game that several of the girls played as we walked from school to rehearsal each week. They created their own script and the finished product is PRECIOUS. Enjoy!

SingSong Planet @ the Freight and Salvage with Orange Sherbet and Octopretzel

2010-12-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

VaST's Intermediate troupe and the Wee Pal Players collaborated with two well known bay area bands to create a unique and wonderful family event. The show was nearly sold out! The Troupe sang and brought the bands' songs to life with skits and giant puppets. Here are some highlights:

Halloween Highlights 2010, Ashkenaz

2010-11-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

Vaudevillians Stage Troupe raised over $600 for Unicef this year and put on an AMAZING show. Here are some highlights:

Halloween Cabaret Carnival Pictures from Ashkenaz 2009.

2010-07-17T01:39:00.000-07:00

As I continue to book shows for the troupe for next session, I am coming across a lot of photo and video memories from the great time we had in Season One. Ashkenaz invited us back for our second Halloween Cabaret Carnival in their wonderful, family style venue.

Classes are about to be posted for the next season which will not only include performing in this great fundraiser for UNICEF in Haiti, but also a unique show at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley collaborating with Bay Area bands Orange Sherbet and Octopretzel in November. Here are some great shots of last year's show at Ashkenaz! Come join the fun for season two:

VIDEOS FROM VAST SUMMER CAMP 2010

2010-07-12T03:17:00.000-07:00

We had 21 kids in our first week of Summer Camp! Not only did we make some very creative movies, but we did some crazy toy modification, walked goats on leashes, had a cake decorating contest, snail races, egg drops, chicken naming, theatre games, song writing, music video creating, costume craziness, and much, much more. It was a truly unique week of fun and creativity, and my favorite part of it was that it was all done "village style" with a mix of 5-13 year old troupe members with every age in between. Here are some of the movies we made...more soon.

VaST's Summer Adventure to Mexico

2010-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to share one of our unique summer programs...a Performing Arts/ Spanish language and Culture experience in Tepoztlan, Morelos, MEXICO!!!

Please check out the blog we made on our adventure:
http://kidsinmind.blogspot.com/

More Highlights from the Winter Soul-stice Show!

2009-12-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Eli Sings Adam Sandler's Classic!

Ethan Lights Up the Stage!

Kaya and Shanti Singing OOm Pah Pah

Highlights from our Winter Show

2009-12-25T12:49:00.000-08:00

Jonah and Claire "Baby its Cold Outside"

Tossa sings "Little Shadow"

Frances and Natalie singing "Fum Fum Fum".

Free To Be You And Me

2009-12-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Our next session will be a celebration of this 1970's classic...I have ALWAYS wanted to direct Free To Be You and Me! I have been a fan ever since I was a little girl, and we still listen to the warped and scratched up LP. My kids know all the words to the skits and songs...

If you would like to be a part of VaST's next session...please sign up and join us! I am even going to arrange an adult workshop so that we can have an older generation represented in the show. Check out the Website for dates and times of classes...we can't wait to begin!

We will be putting on the show in May, giving us a lot of space and time to develop the show. We will also be doing a fund-raising variety show March 28th @ Ashkenaz in Berkeley where the kids will get to pull from their favorite numbers, bring in their own acts and own the stage for two 40 minute sets.

JOIN US! Let's Put On a Show

Our Movie Making Workshop Video!

2009-12-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

Great Show at Ashby Stage Today!!!!

2009-12-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of the troupe...they really stepped it up today singing and entertaining a very enthusiastic audience. A video post will go up soon. Thanks to everyone who made the show possible, the kids for their hard-work and dedication, and the Shotgun Players and Ashby Stage for sharing their amazing "Three Penny Opera" set!

Join us for our Soul-stice show this Sunday at Ashby Stage!!!

2009-12-15T21:57:00.000-08:00

Join Vaudevillians Stage Troupe for a unique and quirky holiday show Sunday, December 20th, 1:20 pm at the Ashby Stage (corner of Ashby and MLK, in Berkeley). We have been performing at the Dickens Fair, and working on our Cockney accents...though our show is an eclectic one. Without giving away too much, we have early 19th century vagabonds singing Jewish rap and old world drinking songs in a sing-off with young carolers lost on their way to Tiny Tim's house. We have a unique storyline devised by the young troupe, and we will top it all off with the screening of a movie made at our first weekend movie making workshop. Full of delights and surprises, we hope you will join us as we throw the Solstice, Christmas, Hannukah, some sausage, a drunken sailor, cockney accents, fantastic costumes and a super-hero goat movie onto one stage...($10 donation at the door).

Vaudevillians Rocked the Dicken's Fair!!

2009-12-15T10:35:00.000-08:00

Vaudevillians Stage Troupe went a 'soulin' in Old London last Sunday! They sang their hearts out, and delighted the audiences on two stages through-out the day. The troupe, dressed in authentic turn of the century clothes, sang to hundreds of fair-goers. Two VaST members even landed jobs at the fair, delivering telegrams around London-town, hollering in their cockney accents...it was a great time.

Please join us this Sunday at the Ashby Stage for our Solstice show. Allow us to shed a little light on the darkest day of the year!

Photos from the fair coming soon!

VaST's First Movie Making Workshop!

2009-11-27T05:58:00.000-08:00

I can't wait to show everyone the film we made in our Movie-making workshop last weekend. 10 kids wrote a script and costumed on Saturday, and then filmed all day on Sunday. Our movie is currently being edited and is called : The Stupor Heroes: Goats of Wrath. We will be entering it in several bay area film festivals with hopes to all come together to see our work on the big screen in the future!

What The Dickens!

2009-11-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

Vaudevillians Stage Troupe is going to the Dickens Fair! We have been working hard on our Cockney Accents and our carols and will be seen and heard at the Cow Palace on December 13th! Don't miss our Solstice show entitled: Shadows and Light at the Ashby Stage on December 20th at 3:00pm. Good fun!

Check out our Youtube Video of the Halloween Show in Mill Valley 2009!

2009-11-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

Now enrolling for "What the Dickens!" Session 2

2009-11-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

The troupe will be caroling at the Great Dickens Fair on December 13th and we will be putting on a Solstice show on December 20th at the Ashby Stage. We will be exploring songs and skits about darkness and light on the eve of the longest night of the year! Join us! www.vaudevilliansstagetroupe.com

Check out the highlights reel from the Throckmorton!

2009-11-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Halloween show at the Throckmorton was fantastic. Here is a taste of the magic:
Halloween Cabaret Carnival Video!

VaST ROCKED Ashkenaz today!

2009-10-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

If you were one of the over 240 people of all ages who came out to see our VERY FIRST show today at Ashkenaz, than you know...Vaudevillians Stage Troupe is something very special. We raised a ton of money for unicef, ran our home-made carnival games and best of all, WE PUT ON A GREAT SHOW! Video and stills will be up soon.

The First Halloween Cabaret Carnival is today at Ashkenaz!

2009-10-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

We had our dress rehearsal at the Ashby Stage yesterday and it was AMAZING! The talent and enthusiasm of our troupe is huge. Our costumes look fantastic, and the band is smokin' ! We can't wait to share our show with you! Check out this gallery of photos from the Dress Rehearsal:
http://gallery.mac.com/dpockell#100158/IMG_5223&bgcolor=black

The Show is Coming Together!

2009-10-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

I just got finished rehearsing with some of the musicians for the Halloween Cabaret Carnival. The rehearsals with the kids have been great this week, and it is incredibly exciting to see the show take its shape. It is such a collaboration of ideas and talents and inspirations. Here are some images from some Vaudevillians Stage Troupe Rehearsals!

First Day of Class for the "Snake Oil Ensemble" 9/9/9

2009-09-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

The Snake Oil Ensemble (Marin's Advanced Group) got off to a great start yesterday. We worked on getting to know each other a bit, warmed up with some improvisation games and then began to plan "The Witchdoctor" and the "Purple People Eater" acts.

We will be focusing on "The Limbo Rock" next week as well as some of the dramatic numbers to go between songs. Tossa will be choreographing "The Blob" as it will be performed by members of this group as well.

I would like to concentrate on refining our movements and developing our stage characters. As back-up vocalists, I would like the troupe to be very unified in their motions and "attitudes".

I will be bringing dowels to use in the Limbo Rock Dance next week. I would also like Jade, Meryl Fe, Shanti and Tossa to choose a song to sing as a small group. Some ideas are "Yummy, Yummy Yummy, I've got love in my Tummy", "Lollipop", "I want candy", etc.

Matthew is going to see if he likes "The Rock Lobster" and will need some back-up singers and actors to make an underwater scene....

I would like to speak to Jean Luc to see if the Vampire is interested in helping to engage the audience in an evil laughing contest...

It was great to meet Thomas, Lydia, and Maria, and begin to work with Francis. Quinn and Julianne are going to be the Purple People Eater's voice.

Next week we will begin to dig deeper... We will spend most of the class choreographing the Limbo Rock and all warm ups will be geared towards coming up with possible skit ideas for the show.

Great Work! Please feel free to comment, ask questions, and post ideas to this forum!

Sarita